Due to the environmental damage which has been inflicted on the planet as a result of the burning of fossil fuels, renewable energy has finally begun to be given significant attention, with many projects being developed around solar energy, wind energy, and tidal power. Of these alternative forms of energy, tidal power is arguably the most attractive, given that tidal flows are entirely predictable and constant, unlike wind or solar energy which are relatively intermittent and therefore less dependable.
However, harnessing tidal energy does provide its own challenges, in particular with respect to the installation and maintenance of tidal power generators, for example hydro-electric turbines, which by the very nature of the operation of same must be located in relatively fast flowing tidal currents, and more than likely located on the seabed. In addition, in order to be economically viable these turbines must be built on a large scale. Essentially however these turbines must deliver power back to shore for eventual supply into the grid. The level of electricity generated by the turbines renders working on the electrical systems a hazardous operation, and this is magnified by the location of the turbines under water on the seabed, and in regions of fast flowing tides. These regions of fast flowing tides are often found in isolated locations making getting to and from the site a time consuming, dangerous, and therefore expensive undertaking. In addition, the process of installing and removing such turbines generally requires the use of multiple vessels and associated heavy machinery, in addition to experience divers. Furthermore, these turbines will generally need to be deployed in multiples in the form of a tidal turbine farm in order to be economically viable. Thus the installation process is multiplied by the number of turbines to be installed. The availability of such equipment and divers is relative scare, and thus it is extremely desirable to reduce the time and equipment necessary to perform the installation and removal of tidal turbines.
Due to both the relatively large electric currents generated by hydroelectric turbines, and the extremely harsh conditions under which the turbines and associated electrical cables are exposed, the electrical cable extending onshore from each turbine must be relatively large and robust. As a result of the diameter of the cable, which may be in the region of 300-500 mm, and given the length of cable involved, the weight of the cable is significant. The handling of the cable is therefore both a difficult and time-consuming operation, made even more difficult by the tidal conditions present at the sites where hydroelectric turbines are deployed. The cabling is also relatively inflexible and so the mishandling of same can quickly and easily result in kinking/knotting of the cable, thus rendering same permanently damaged and therefore requiring replacement.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of installing a hydroelectric turbine, which method avoids damage to the cable during the installation process.